CHARLOTTE, N.C., Jan. 21 (UPI) -- Larry Green is receiving a $425,000 settlement from North Carolina officials after he was mistakenly declared dead by a medical examiner and sent to a morgue.
The lawsuit alleged the mistake by Dr. J.B. Perdue, 77, left Green paralyzed and with severe brain damage, the Charlotte Observer reports.
Perdue said he's been wrongly accused and said he feels no guilt about the incident.
The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services said the settlement prevents the "emotional toll and expense" of a trial.
Green, 39, was hit by a car in 2005. Perdue was the medical examiner to arrive to the scene after paramedics made an initial examination. Perdue had Green put in a body bag and sent to the morgue.
Multiple witnesses said they saw Green's chest, abdomen and eyes move. Perdue attributed those symptoms as "air escaping the body" and muscle spasms.
Green was later discovered alive after being removed from a morgue refrigerator because a state trooper needed more information. As of last May, Green lives in a nursing home and is unable to walk or talk.
